Method of producing a decorative wall covering



Feb. 14, 1928.

A. D. SIMMONS METHOD OF PRODUGING A DECORATIVE WALL COVERING Filed May3, 1925 'lsannm use other materials not as pliable or flexible PatentedFeb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES ALBERT D. SIMMONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO;

METHOD OF PRODUING A DECORATIVE WALL GVEBING.

Application filed- May` 31,

more particularly pointed outin the claims.k

In general my object is to provide a method which will permit an artistor skilled crafts'- manto create and produce in a facile way a coveringfor walls and ceilings having an artistic design or ornamentation inyrelief and various. colors, using a plastic medium havingSeli-'hardening properties and taking certain steps in sequenceenablino` the artist to stroke and remove` portions o one or more coatsof that medium while still elastic including parts of a sub-layer of thesame medium which has attained a set or become hard previously. Myimproved method also permits such an ornate wal-l covering to beproduced by hand in the shop or studio, the product possessing whenfinished, a ydecorated surface resembling stippled'or hand modeledplaster, portions of the design being in relief or elevated and ofdifferent shadeor color than the depressed port-ions. The decoratedsurface is hard although -flexible in slight degree when the back orbody of the product is made of. woven fabric, such as ycanvas or duck,so that the finished productmay be handled freely, and transported orshipped without damage or breakage, and mounted upon a finished interiorwall or ceilingand permanently aliixed thereto by any suitable adhesiveor aste. A building wall so ldecorated emodies` the actual hand work ofthe artist, but the cost and expense is'greatly reduced and the workitself may be more artistically" executed and expedited because made inthe shop or studio and not underthe handicaps and 'delays incident tobuilding operations. In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a frontelevation of a small panel or piece of decorative covering madeaccording to my improved method or process. Fig. 2 is a similar view,showing portions of the superposed layers or coatings of the designremoved,`and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the product greatly magnifiedor enlarged.

In practicing this method of producing an ornamental or decorative Wallcovering,` I prefer to use strips or sheets of woven material, such asaheavy canvas, as a base or mounting for the ldecorative surface. I may1926. Serial No 106,288.

as canvas, Vbut canvas or duckprovides ya' strong 'and durable bodyvhaving a woven surface to which a plastic medium such as I use `willstrongly adhere although the woven:

body'lis rendered less pliable and flexible b such medium whenk it setsand becomes har Thus, Il firststretch the canvas A perfectly flat upon aflat-board or base member B, usingtacks 2 o-rjanysuitable means forfasteningthe edgesxof the canvas detachably in place. The exposedsurface of the canvas isvthen treated to make it more or less imperviousto the water contained in the compounds applied subsequently and thetreatment also makes the surface smoother, as well as to preventbuckling or wrinkling during and after tooling operations. For thatpurpose I may give the woven surface a coat C of lead and oil paint, orone or more coats of any other suitable sizing compound comprisingapigment, lithopone, or a varnish. Then the vsizing coat is dry, I applya coat or layerY D of wet plastic com-k pound smoothly thereto, forexample a conipound comprising ak mineral base, casein and an alkalinesubstance, mixed with coloring matter and water toy form a'thick fluid,paste or plaster adapted to take a Lquick set and harden when dried.` Id'o'inot limit myself to any specific composition, but the mineral basemay be powdered tale, the casein maybe treated with soda ash, and lime,alum and clay may be included. Another compound which may be usedconsists of a preponderating amount ofy powdered mica and china. v clay,a lesser amount of casein,- and small l amounts of borax,`lime and oxideof zinc. The composition may be tinted, deeply colored, or plain white,and after acoat of thiscomposition has been applied over the sizing coatit is allowed to dry, or is thoroughly. .dried by the application ofheat,

whereupon it becomes hard and stiff but` sufiiciently homogeneous towithstand bending in a limited degreelwithout cracking or peeling. f

Inasmuch as the kconmoosition has been mixed with water it will absorbya smally i amount of water after it has been dried, and

this inherent property is. advantageousfin Y practicing the next-stepsinthe method or process, which consistsfinapplying a second coat E ofthe same compound, but inra contrasti-.ngy tint or color, upon theprevious coat. Insomeinstances the rst composition coat or ylayer may besmoothlyk finished by sand paper, or it may be, stippled or tooled witha design before it has-fully hardcned. The second composition coatingcovers the first completely and a part of its water content penetratesthe hard surface of the first coating to some extent and tends to softenthe same so that both the top and bottom composition coatings may betooled together in the following manner: Thus before the second or topcoating sets or becomes hard and while it is still wet and sticky anydesired ornamental design or arytistic representation is outlined on thetop surface, preferably by laying a perforated paper pattern of thedesign upon the top coat and pouncing charcoal through this perforatedsheet.' The top coat, being wet and `more or less sticky, a thin coatlfvof dry powder is dusted or lightly applied over the to-p surface. Thispowder is preferably made of the same materials as the top coat itself.'llhe perforated paper pattern may then be removed without tearing itwhere wealr or closely perforated. rllhe artist then reproduces thedesign by removing portions of the top composition coat while it isstill soft, using various tools and instruments adapted to scrape andlift the moist material apart from the bottom coating which is harderand of a different tint or color. By applying sucient pressure to thetool, for example a tool as delineated having a vwire loop 3 to scrapethe compound free, a portion 4 of the bottom coating or layer is skinnedor removed in addition to the top layer, due to the softening influenceof the water absorbed from the top coat, thereby effacing in substantialdegree the top coat or layer ofdifl'erent color and producing hand toolmarks with embellishing effect in the bottom layer of contrasting color.The parts of the top coat which are not scraped are hoinogeneouslyunited with the botto-m layer and this part of the design is displayedin bold relief in contrasting color to the de pressed design or sunlrgure, and both small and large sunken areas are involved dependent upc-nthe artistic e'ect to be produced, even to fine lines and scratchescorresponding to finely etched surfaces. In producing a large design orin Working on large areas it is necessary to cover the unworked areawith a damp cloth to prevent the second coating or layer of compositionmaterials from hardening, thus retarding the solidifying tendencies ofthe composition in part while the artist uses the etching tool on theuncovered plastic portions of the work. When the design is completed theentire decorated surface may be trimmed, and affixed at any time to thesurface to be y decorated.

Additional steps may be taken to produce a more elaborate designinvolving many different colors, by repeating the steps either vassentein part or whole as hereinbefore described For example, after the secondcoat has been applied and portions thereof removed to producea design inrelief in two colors, one

or more additional coatings of the same com- 7H positionb'ut of diderenttints or colors may be applied and tooled in the same Way to uncoverportions of the tooled design underneath. The plastic material may beapplied by a brush and a finishing effect obtained by trowel, hand orother device, and portions of one treated surface may be built up andWorked in two or more colors ,Without necessarilyvcarrying the samedesign and combination of colors throughout the entire decorated area.For example, say a double layer of the desired composition has beenapplied to the canvas backing and a design or ornamental gure has been.developed in relief in contrasting colors as described, I may apply athird coat ofthe same composition in a still different tint or color toeither the raised figure. or to the depressed figure, or additionaldifferent layers to each, and then tool and remove portions of the thirdcoat in the same way as described, thereby ob taining a multi-coloreddesign or figure with the contrasting parts thereof at variouselevations or in variable relief. Finally a protecting coating ofvarnish or clear lacquer may be appliedto the tooled surface after thecomposition product has hardened, if desired. i

What I claim, is:

l. A method of producing a pliable decorative wall covering, consistingin superposing separate water-mixed plastic coatings of self-hardeningcompositions of `different color and softenable by water upon a ilexiblebase member and in removing portions of the top and lower coats whilesaid top coat is still plastic and while the lower coats are slightlysoftened by water of the topy coat entering into said lower coats toproduce a vari-colored design in relief thereon.

2. A method of producing a pliable decorative Wall covering, consistingin applying a water-resisting material to a woven fabric, in applying awater-mixed plaster composition having hardening propertiesandsoftenable by water over said coating and drying the same; inapplying a second water-mixed coating of plastic composition havinghardening properties over said first plaster coating; in tooling adesign in relief in said superposed coatings after the water of saidsecond coat has slightly softened said first coat by removing plasticportions of said coatings from each other and their common base; andfinally drying and hardening said tooled surfaces.

3. A method of producing a pliable vdecorative wall covering, consistingin superposing separate coats of self-hardening Water-mixed plasticcompounds of diiierent color upon a Wovenrfabrc covered with a waterresisting material and While the top coat is still wet and plastic andthe lower coats softened by the Water of the top coat,

Vapplying a thin coat of dry powder over the top coat n laying aperforated pattern of a design thereon; in pounoing colored powderthrough said pattern; and in tooling the wet ture.

ALBERT D. SIMMONS.

